Impact of gumstains on value

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by glynparson

Gum or wax they are two entirely different stains. wax doesn't bother me a ton on a card for my collection. gum stain no thank you.

Wax stains can generally be rubbed off with a cloth or panty hose, especially if they are on the front. They seem to stay on the surface of the card. And I personally have no issue with doing that.

Gum stains on the other hand, can penetrate the card's surface and cause 'bubbling' on the front. They seem to be a more permanent type of damage than the wax stains.

Probably some of the worst cards for gum stains were the 1981 Donruss and Fleer- their first issues. I can remember putting entire boxes of them in the freezer to be able to 'pop' the gum off the card. Hey, maybe there are still some boxes in there - I'd better check on that.